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Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Activities powered by Viator. Prices and availability come from each provider and are confirmed when you book with them.

  1. Home
  2. California
  3. Idyllwild
  4. Fern Basin

Camping at Fern Basin near Idyllwild

Public campground · Idyllwild · 15 campsites

A forested campground near fishing, hiking, and mountain biking. Most campsites have no hookups, and RV fit varies by site.

About this campground

8 miles one way) begins nearby and is the shortest though strenuous route to San Jacinto Peak, with clear-day panoramas that can reach the ocean, Palm Desert, and the San Bernardino and San Gabriel ranges. Beyond that trail, the broader San Bernardino National Forest supports a wide range of activities biking, climbing, fishing, horseback riding and horse camping, hunting, OHV use, interpretive programs, swimming, winter sports and wildlife viewing but services at Fern Basin itself are limited to primitive campground amenities.

4.0 on Recreation.gov · 80 reviewsBook on Recreation.gov
View all 2 photos

At a glance

  • RV sites up to 20 ft

    Length limits vary by campsite.

  • No hookups
  • Pets welcome
  • Vault toilets
OverviewCampsitesAmenities & locationReviewsPlan your stay

0 available sites

Site 004
RV or tent · Up to 20 ft · Up to 8 peopleNo hookups
Check availability
$20/night
Site 005
RV or tent · Up to 20 ft · Up to 8 peopleNo hookups
Check availability
$20/night
Site 006
RV or tent · Up to 20 ft · Up to 8 peopleNo hookups
Check availability
$20/night
Site 007
RV or tent · Up to 20 ft · Up to 8 peopleNo hookups
Check availability
$20/night
Site 008
RV or tent · Up to 20 ft · Up to 8 peopleNo hookups
Check availability
$20/night
Site 009
RV or tent · Up to 20 ft · Up to 8 peopleNo hookups
Check availability
$20/night
Site 010
RV or tent · Up to 20 ft · Up to 8 peopleNo hookups
Check availability
$20/night
Site 012
RV or tent · Up to 20 ft · Up to 8 peopleNo hookups
Check availability
$20/night

View full availability calendar · night-by-night from Recreation.gov

Check dates on Recreation.gov.

SiteFr
13
Sa
14
Price
005
standard nonelectric
––$20
015
standard nonelectric
––$20
006
standard nonelectric
––$20
004
standard nonelectric
––$20
018
standard nonelectric
––$20
014
standard nonelectric
––$20
016
standard nonelectric
––$20
012
standard nonelectric
––$20
008
standard nonelectric
––$20
009
standard nonelectric
––$20
017
standard nonelectric

✓ available · R reserved · X not available · C closed · W first come, first served · N not yet released

Check availability

You book directly on Recreation.gov. Rates and availability can change until reserved. Campground page on Recreation.gov ↗

Check dates
Book on Recreation.gov

Amenities & location

  • Drinking Water
  • Trash Collection
  • Vault Toilets
Check-in
2:00 PM
Checkout
2:00 PM
Pets
Allowed (per listing)

Hookups (individual campsites): 15 no-hookup individual sites.

Location

Open in Google Maps ↗

Fern Basin: questions answered

What is the maximum RV length at Fern Basin?
Longest RV site listed: 20 ft (15 of 15 RV sites list a length) (per the listing)
Does Fern Basin have RV hookups?
15 no-hookup individual sites (per the listing)
How do I reserve a site at Fern Basin?
Reservable on Recreation.gov (per the listing)
Are pets allowed at Fern Basin?
Allowed (per the listing)
Sources and details

At a glance

Official facts link to their source; “Listing” facts come from the Recreation.gov listing. Anything we can't source says so.

Max rig length
Listing Longest RV site listed: 20 ft (15 of 15 RV sites list a length)
Hookups & power
Listing 15 no-hookup individual sites
Pull-through / back-in
Listing 0 pull-through, 15 back-in
Road & site access
Listing 15 gravel site driveways
Pets
Listing Allowed
Cell signal
Listing Visitor-reported signal on Recreation.gov (higher is better): T-Mobile 0 (26 reports), Verizon 3 (21 reports), AT&T 1 (21 reports)
Water
Listing Drinking water listed
Booking
Listing Reservable on Recreation.gov
Price
Listing Lowest listed rate $20/night (live price once you pick dates)
Getting there
Listing Idyllwild, CA (map in Location below)
Generators · Quiet hours · Starlink / satellite · Shade · Stay limits
Not listed — check with campground

Reviews

Themes from recent written reviews on Recreation.gov. Quotes are verbatim.

Quiet, wooded sites · 2 reviews

“shady place to sit under a tree and read a good book.”

Luanne O · Aug 2025

Selected reviews

Verbatim from guest reviews on Recreation.gov ↗ (80 reviews, ★ 4.0). Not written or edited by us.

“Great camping spot close to idyllwild. Ideal for tent campers, as the loops are pretty small. The bathrooms are vault toilet but clean and the spot we had was close to the water spigot. Fern Basin is perfect for a quick overnight. ”

Tracy N 5 · Oct 2025 · Recreation.gov
Nearby

Campgrounds to compare

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Prefer a roof over your head

All glamping →
  • Lake Hemet Campground9 mi · Mountain Center
  • Cathedral Palms RV Resort15.5 mi · Cathedral City
  • Paradise RV Park (Desert Hot Springs)19.1 mi · Desert Hot Springs
  • Native Falls Campground20.8 mi · Temecula
  • Shadow Hills RV Resort27 mi · Indio
  • Desert Drifter RV Resort27.9 mi · Yucca Valley

Explore nearby

  • Campgrounds near Idyllwild
  • RV rentals near Idyllwild
  • Glamping & cabins near Idyllwild
  • RV rentals in California
  • Glamping in California

Guides for this trip

  • Camping at Joshua Tree National Park
  • How much does it cost to rent an RV?
  • Camping with dogs
–
–
$20
010
standard nonelectric
––$20
007
standard nonelectric
––$20
013
standard nonelectric
––$20
019
standard nonelectric
––$20
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights1 site open for every night

Diamonds Ranch

2.6 mi from Fern Basin (straight-line)
Sites $25/night
$50 total for Nov 13–15 · before taxes & fees
Rates & availability from Hipcamp · you book on their site
View Campsites
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights2 sites open for every night

Serene forest privacy for 4WD

4.3 mi from Fern Basin (straight-line)
Sites from $45/night
$90 total for Nov 13–15 · before taxes & fees
Rates & availability from Hipcamp · you book on their site
View Campsites
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights10 sites open for every night

Lake Hemet Campground

9 mi from Fern Basin (straight-line)
Sites from $57/night
$114 total for Nov 13–15 · before taxes & fees
Rates & availability from Campspot · you book on their site
View Campsites
Compare site types

15 individual reservable campsites from Recreation.gov, checked Nov 7. Rates are the listed nightly rates.

Standard sites (tent or RV)

Tent, van or small RV, no power

15 sites · $20/night

0 open Nov 13–Nov 15

Trip idea

Ideas for your stay

An idea to start from, built from this campground's listing and real tours nearby. Times, openings and prices change, so check each before you go.

  1. Day 1 · Arrive and settle in

    • Check in and set up camp.
    • go fishing (per the campground listing)
  2. Day 2 · Get out and explore

    • Palm Springs Modernism Architecture & History Bike Tour Palm Springs area · 2.9 hr–3.2 hr · from $115/person
    • Palm Springs Aerial Tramway Admission Ticket Palm Springs area · 1 hr–2 hr · from $34/person
  3. Day 3 · One more stop, then head home

    • San Andreas Fault Jeep Tour from Palm Desert Palm Springs area · 3 hr · from $175/person
Ways to stay

Bring a tent or have an RV waiting

  • Tent camping here: 15 sites take tents. See open sites ↑

Need an RV for your stay?

Rentals that may deliver here and whose listed length fits sites up to 20 ft. Delivery may be available — confirm fees and dates with the owner before you book.

Guinevere Rose - The 2020 Ram Promaster - Cozy, Spacious, and Simple
Guinevere Rose - The 2020 Ram Promaster - Cozy, Spacious, and Simple

Camper van · 19.6 ft · sleeps 2 · 3 mi from campground

$199/night listed · Outdoorsy · Delivery may be available

View rental
2018 Jayco Redhawk **Unlimited Miles, No Generator Fees, No Prep Fees**
2018 Jayco Redhawk **Unlimited Miles, No Generator Fees, No Prep Fees**

Class C motorhome · 20 ft · sleeps 4 · 11 mi from campground

$175/night listed · Outdoorsy · Delivery may be available

View rental
2023 Airstream Bambi
2023 Airstream Bambi

Travel trailer · 19 ft · sleeps 4 · 50 mi from campground

$145/night listed · Outdoorsy · Delivery may be available

View rental
Things to do

Activities near Fern Basin

Bookable tours nearby

Paid experiences on Viator. Distances are from this campground when the tour lists its own start point.

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway Admission Ticket
Palm Springs Aerial Tramway Admission Ticket

Palm Springs area · 1 hr–2 hr · from $34/person

San Andreas Fault Jeep Tour from Palm Desert
San Andreas Fault Jeep Tour from Palm Desert

Palm Springs area · 3 hr · from $175/person

Bank Heist Escape Room Game for Private Group
Bank Heist Escape Room Game for Private Group

Palm Springs area · 1 hr · from $42/person

See 6 more bookable tours
Titanic Escape Room Game for Private Group
Titanic Escape Room Game for Private Group

Palm Springs area · 1 hr · from $42/person

Best time to go

Seasons, rates and how booked it gets

  • Peak season May 21–Nov 8: RV & Tent $20 per night
  • Peak season May 22–Sep 2: RV & Tent $20 per night
Plan your stay

How far ahead to book Fern Basin

For May weekends, book about 144 days ahead. Three in four May Friday and Saturday arrivals were booked later than that, and half were booked 107 days or less before arrival. Past timing is guidance, not a guarantee of what is open now.

See booking patterns
Arrival monthFri/Sat arrivals: half booked at leastA quarter at leastOther days: half booked at leastA quarter at least
May107 days ahead144 days ahead34 days ahead100 days ahead
June75 days ahead131 days ahead29 days ahead94 days ahead
July49 days ahead93 days ahead27 days ahead70 days ahead
August47 days ahead84 days ahead16 days ahead41 days ahead
September33 days ahead61 days ahead21 days ahead57 days ahead
October35 days ahead65 days ahead19 days ahead41 days ahead
November25 days ahead54 days ahead25 days ahead48 days ahead

Months with fewer than 30 reservations of that kind are left blank. Sites where nearly every booking was made the day of arrival (pay on arrival) are left out. Closed seasons, windows not yet released for booking, and currently unavailable nights are separate from this history.

Based on Recreation.gov reservations, FY2015–2025 (4,527 reservations in the years scored). Counts reservations made, not nights actually camped: cancellations aren't in the data, and nights a site was closed count as not booked. FY2020–21 (COVID) are left out of the scores.

Joshua Tree National Park Offroad Tour
Joshua Tree National Park Offroad Tour

Palm Springs area · 5 hr · from $249/person

Joshua Tree National Park Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour
Joshua Tree National Park Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour

Palm Springs area · 3 hr–4 hr · from $14/person

Joshua Tree National Park Scenic Tour
Joshua Tree National Park Scenic Tour

Palm Springs area · 3 hr–5 hr · from $127/person

Palm Springs Modernism Architecture & History Bike Tour
Palm Springs Modernism Architecture & History Bike Tour

Palm Springs area · 2.9 hr–3.2 hr · from $115/person

Joshua Tree Open Air Hummer Adventure
Joshua Tree Open Air Hummer Adventure

Palm Springs area · 3 hr–5 hr · from $179/person